In lighting control systems with distributed networked/intelligent devices such as smart gateways and associated luminaires with light sources such as light emitting diodes (LED), it is imperative that each unique network address and physical location of a device is correctly identified and associated with the location/area of control of the device to facilitate correct operational configuration of the system.
Current Identification methods include:
Detachable Printed ID Number—An identification number and/or scan-code sticker is removed from the lighting device upon installation and affixed to an installation drawing depicting the device's relevant location. The installation drawing is then used to identify luminaires when commissioning/configuring the lighting system.
Barcode (or other scan-code medium)—A barcode is removed from the lighting device and affixed to an installation drawing depicting the device's relevant location for later scanning or scanning in-situ. The barcode and drawing are used to directly generate and/or update information within a lighting system commissioning application (such as software on a computer or handheld tool).
Service Pin—For some installed devices, if the location and/or other identification information of the installed device has not been previously recorded, it is then possible to identify the device by pressing a ‘service pin’ (physical button on the device) while a commissioning application or tool is in a listening mode to detect a signal generated by the device in response to pressing the service pin. The network address and/or physical location of the device may then be displayed or assigned to a pre-configured ‘dummy’/virtual device.
Wink Function—To facilitate observational identification of luminaires particularly with networked Digital Addressable Lighting Interface (DALI)® addressed devices, which generally do not support the previous methods, the network is scanned for previously un-provisioned (i.e., unidentified and/or unintegrated into the lighting system control) devices using a commissioning application or tool and the detected devices are listed on a user device. A ‘wink’ option button is provided for each of the results and causes the related luminaire to flash on and off repeatedly when selected by a user. When witnessed by the user, the device address and physical location can then be correctly assigned.
Once the network addresses of all networked lighting devices are known along with location information, the next process conducted will be to assign them to operational groups (“group assignment”), representing areas such as rooms and corridors. This is ordinarily achieved by manually assigning known addressed devices to a group object so that all members can be controlled by a single command/message when later configured/programmed.
As the size of a single lighting control network grows beyond that of a single zone of a floor, to the whole floor, the whole building and areas beyond; the time and labor expended on luminaire/networked device identification will likely be quite extensive. Most presently employed methods of device identification require some form of direct manual interaction and/or direct observation of the individual luminaire being identified.
With the emergence of Internet of Things (IoT) based lighting control systems, the size of a single installation when compared to existing localized networked solutions will grow in size significantly due to the absence of limitations imposed by more localized technologies. As such, in order to reduce the installation and commissioning time for a large project based on the issues outlined, the requirement for an automated method of luminaire/device discovery/identification and group assignment becomes apparent.
If, during the physical installation of an intelligent lighting control system, all information regarding addresses and locations has been accurately mapped and added directly to a commissioning application/tool or drawing, the issue of post-installation identification may not generally present a major problem. However, from experience this is not always accurately carried out by electricians/installers and physical media such as installation drawings (with IDs attached) can be lost/damaged. Further, pre-configured maps and/or specifications cannot account for so-called dynamic lighting system aspects, such as adding or removing a luminaire or replacing a luminaire with a luminaire of a different type.
Given the state of the art, there is a need for a system and method for automatic, dynamic luminaire location identification and group assignment capability using automated wink and/or dimming functions and related identification functions for commissioning a lighting control in very large ecosystems such as a whole building or a floor, in quick turn-around time and reducing manual efforts. Additionally, in very large systems with automatic group assignment capability (even when all individual device addresses are already known), an automated process could still present a significant commissioning timesaving.